Genome-wide identification of NF-Y gene family in maize (Zea mays L.) and the positive role of ZmNF-YC12 in drought resistance and recovery ability

Liru Cao; Chenchen Ma; Feiyu Ye; Yunyun Pang; Guorui Wang; Abbas Muhammad Fahim; Xiaomin Lu

doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1159955

Genome-wide identification of NF-Y gene family in maize (Zea mays L.) and the positive role of ZmNF-YC12 in drought resistance and recovery ability

Front Plant Sci. 2023 May 17:14:1159955. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1159955. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Liru Cao^{1

2}, Chenchen Ma¹, Feiyu Ye¹, Yunyun Pang¹, Guorui Wang¹, Abbas Muhammad Fahim³, Xiaomin Lu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Grain Crops Research Institute, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China.
² The Shennong Laboratory, Zhengzhou Henan, China.
³ Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.

Abstract

Nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) genes play important roles in many biological processes, such as leaf growth, nitrogen nutrition, and drought resistance. However, the biological functions of these transcription factor family members have not been systematically analyzed in maize. In the present study, a total of 52 ZmNF-Y genes were identified and classified into three groups in the maize genome. An analysis of the evolutionary relationship, gene structure, and conserved motifs of these genes supports the evolutionary conservation of NF-Y family genes in maize. The tissue expression profiles based on RNA-seq data showed that all genes apart from ZmNF-Y16, ZmNF-YC15, and ZmNF-YC17 were expressed in different maize tissues. A weighted correlation network analysis was conducted and a gene co expression network method was used to analyze the transcriptome sequencing results; six core genes responding to drought and rewatering were identified. A real time fluorescence quantitative analysis showed that these six genes responded to high temperature, drought, high salt, and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments, and subsequent restoration to normal levels. ZmNF-YC12 was highly induced by drought and rewatering treatments. The ZmNF-YC12 protein was localized in the nucleus, and the Gal4-LexA/UAS system and a transactivation analysis demonstrated that ZmNF-YC12 in maize (Zea mays L.) is a transcriptional activator that regulates drought resistance and recovery ability. Silencing ZmNF-YC12 reduced net photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, antioxidant (superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase) system activation, and soluble protein and proline contents; it increased the malondialdehyde content, the relative water content, and the water loss rate, which weakened drought resistance and the recoverability of maize. These results provide insights into understanding the evolution of ZmNF-Y family genes in maize and their potential roles in genetic improvement. Our work provides a foundation for subsequent functional studies of the NF-Y gene family and provides deep insights into the role of the ZmNF-YC12 regulatory network in controlling drought resistance and the recoverability of maize.

Keywords: bioinformatics; drought resistance; maize; nuclear factor Y; recovery ability; transcriptional activator.

Grants and funding

This research was sponsored by Outstanding Youth Technology Fund of Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (2022JQ02), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32201708) and Key Research Project of the Shennong Laboratory (SN01-2022-02).